Jan. 9, 2015
VIDEO: Post-Match Interviews vs. Indiana
| 42 | 3 |
| Rec Hall | University Park, Pa. | 6,281 | |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 7 in the latest Intermat Tournament Power Index, took care of No. 23 Indiana in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd on Friday night. Over 6,200 fans packed Rec Hall in the 22nd straight home sell-out for Penn State and watched head coach Cael Sanderson's squad post a dominating 42-3 victory.
The dual meet began at 165 where red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) took on one of the nation's best, No. 4 Taylor Walsh of Indiana. Hammond fell behind early and then mounted a furious comeback, nearly pulling off the upset as the sold out Rec Hall crowd roared. Hammond dropped a hard-fought 9-6 decision, giving Indiana a brief 3-0 lead. Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, made short work of that lead, turning a second period takedown into fall over No. 19 Nate Jackson. Brown got the pin at the 4:10 mark and put the Nittany Lions up 6-3.
Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 184, followed Brown's pin up with an even quicker fall. The Lion freshman caught Hoosier Jake Masengale from his feet and turned the Hoosier to his back for a first period pin at the 0:55 mark, putting Penn State up 12-3. Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) ranked No. 4 at 197, posted a 6-3 decision over IU's Luke Sheridan and senior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa) was a 6-2 winner of Indiana's Garret Goldman at 285. Penn State carried an 18-3 lead into the halftime break.
Nittany Lion junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, received a forfeit victory at 125, giving Penn State a 24-3 lead coming right out of intermission. Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 133, was dominant, rolling to a 20-4 technical fall over Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd. Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) dominated Sean Brown at 141. The Lion rookie rolled out to a big lead and then turned shoulder control into a throw and a pin at the 5:43 mark.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 17 at 149, followed that up with a strong 14-4 major decision with over 4:00 in riding time, putting Penn State up 39-3 with one bout left.. At 157, Penn State senior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 157, capped off the night with a 2-0 win over Alex Gregory. Alton, who returned to action for the first time at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, made his first Rec Hall appearance since last year's finale against Clarion.
The Nittany Lions posted a gaudy 24-2 edge in takedowns while winning nine of ten bouts. The Lions picked up 15 bonus points off a forfeit, three pins, a tech fall and a major. Penn State is now 6-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten. Indiana falls to 2-3, 0-2 in the conference.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday when it visits No. 3 Ohio State for a 2 p.m. dual meet. The Lions' next home dual is set for Sunday, Jan. 18, when they host Purdue for a 1 p.m. start. A limited number of SRO tickets are available for select Penn State Rec Hall dual meets, although the SROs for the Lehigh dual are sold out. For ticket inquiries, call 1-800-NITTANY. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#7 Penn State 42, #23 Indiana 3
January 9, 2015 - Rec Hall - University Park, Pa.
165: #4 Taylor Walsh IND dec. Garett Hammond PSU, 9-6 / 0-3
174: #4 Matt Brown PSU pinned #19 Nate Jackson IND, WBF (4:10) / 6-3
184: #16 Matt McCutcheon PSU pinned Jake Masengale IND, WBF (0:55) / 12-3
197: #4 Morgan McIntosh PSU dec. Luke Sheridan IND, 6-3 / 15-3
285: Jon Gingrich PSU dec. Garret Goldman IND, 6-2 / 18-3
125: #8 Jordan Conaway PSU win by forfeit 24-3
133: #10 Jimmy Gulibon PSU tech fall Alonzo Shepherd IND, 20-4 (TF; 5:53) / 29-3
141: Kade Moss PSU pinned Sean Brown IU, WBF (5:43) / 35-3
149: #17 Zack Beitz PSU maj. dec. Trevor Moody IND, 14-4 / 39-3
157: #8 Dylan Alton PSU dec. Alex Gregory IND, 2-0 / 42-3
Attendance: 6,281 (22nd straight home sell-out)
Records: Penn State 6-0, 2-0 B1G; Indiana 2-3, 0-2 B1G
Up Next for Penn State: at #3 Ohio State, Sunday, Jan.11 - 2 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
165: Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) met No. 4 Taylor Walsh at 165. Hammond got in on a low single at the 2:37 mark but he Hoosier senior countered for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Hammond worked to fight off a Walsh turn and forced a stalemate with 1:34 on the clock. Walsh continued a strong ride, however, building up well over 1:00 in riding time. Hammond worked through a turn effort for a reversal to tie the bout at 2-2 with :40 on the clock and then nearly scored on a single leg. Walsh countered another Hammond shot for a takedown and a 5-2 lead after one period. Hammond chose down to start the second period and Walsh was once again strong on top. The Hoosier built up nearly 4:00 in riding time with a full ride out and led 5-2 with 3:58 in riding time after two. Walsh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-2 lead. Hammond turned a fast low single into a takedown, cutting the lead to 6-4 with :55 on the clock. The Lion freshman cut the senior loose to a 7-4 score, looking for another takedown. Hammond got in on a high single, looking to score again and finished off the score with :15 on the clock, cutting Walsh loose and cutting the lead to 8-6. Hammond's comeback was cut short as the clock expired and the freshman dropped a hard fought 9-6 decision.
174: Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 4 at 174, met Indiana's Nate Jackson, ranked No. 19, in one of the dual meet's most anticipated match-ups. Brown took Jackson down quickly, taking an early 2-1 lead. Brown controlled Jackson's leg quickly again, steadily working his way to control of the opposite ankle and a 4-1 lead with 1:30 on the clock. Jackson escaped to a 4-2 score with :40 left and immediately turned a low single into a third takedown and a 6-2 lead after the opening period. Brown chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. He then turned a low single into a fourth takedown to lead 9-2 with nearly 2:00 in riding time just :30 into the second period. The Lion senior worked his way into control of Jackson's legs from the top, leveraging his way to a turn. After a brief reset, Brown got the pin at the 4:10 mark. The fall was the 27th of his career, 15th all-time at Penn State.
184: Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 184, wrestled Indiana's Jake Masengale. McCutcheon wasted no time in bringing the Lion faithful to their feet, locking up the Hoosier's shoulders from a standing position and turning him to his back. Just seconds later, the Penn State freshman got the fall, a first period pin at the 0:55 mark.
197: Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197, took on IU senior Luke Sheridan. McIntosh steadily worked his way into a scoring position on the Hoosier senior, turning a low shot into a takedown and a 2-0 lead two minutes into the bout. McIntosh maintained control of Sheridan for the rest of the period and led 2-0 with 1:11 riding time after one period. The junior chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. McIntosh countered a slight Sheridan shot and opened up a 5-0 lead with a second takedown, this one with just under :30 left in the period. A short ride out gave McIntosh a 5-0 lead with 1:35 in time after two. Sheridan chose down to start the third period and McIntosh began a strong ride, clinching the riding time point before the Hoosier escaped to a 5-1 score. Sheridan notched a counter takedown late but McIntosh notched a 6-3 decision.
285: Senior Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) met Indiana's Garret Goldman at 285. Gingrich exploded through a low single early, gaining control of Goldman's left leg and picking up the takedown to lead 2-0. The Lion senior then built up a solid riding time edge, working Goldman's chest to the mat for over 2:00 and nearly turning him for back points at the :25 mark. Goldman was able to roll through the move, however, and Gingrich led 2-0 with 2:29 riding time after one. Goldman chose down to start the second period and Gingrich continued to control the action from the top. Gingrich built up over 3:00 in time before Goldman escaped to a 2-1 score. With the riding time point clinched, Gingrich chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Looking to pad his lead, Gingrich blew through a low single for a second takedown and a 5-1 lead with 1:10 on the clock. Gingrich then cut Goldman loose with :35 left but Goldman fought off three solid Gingrich shots down the stretch. Gingrich rolled to the 6-2 win with 3:42 in riding time.
125: Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 125, received a forfeit victory at 125. Conaway improved to 14-2 on the year with the win.
133: Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 10 at 133, met IU's Alonzo Shepherd. Gulibon exploded off the opening whistle, getting in on a single leg and turning it into a takedown and 2-0 lead seconds into the bout. Shepherd escaped only to get quickly taken down and turned by Gulibon. The Lion sophomore picked up three near fall points to lead 7-1, nearly getting the pin at the :40 mark. Gulibon rode Shepherd out and led 7-1 with 2:21 in riding time after one. Shepherd chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 7-2 score but Gulibon was quick to answer. The Lion sophomore slid behind the Hoosier for a takedown and a 9-3 lead. He tacked on another takedown with a fast low single to lead 11-3 at the 1:00 mark. After cutting Shepherd loose, Gulibon forced his foe's head to the mat, worked his way around for another takedown and picked up another point on a second Shepherd stall. Leading 14-1 with 3:52 in riding time, Gulibon chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 15-4 lead. He then bolted through a furious shot, taking Shepherd down again and led 17-4. Gulibon then gained control of Shepherd's arm and turned the Hoosier for three near fall points to pick up the 20-4 tech fall at the 5:53 mark.
141: Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah) faced off against Indiana's Sean Brown at 141. Moss wasted no time taking a lead, turning a low single into a takedown and a 2-1 lead out of the gates. Moss controlled the action in the center of the mat, forcing Brown backwards as he worked to set up his offense. Moss' efforts paid dividends with a second takedown and a 4-1 lead with under 1:00 left in the opening period. Brown was unable to break free of Moss' control and the Lion led 4-1 with 1:06 in riding time after one period. Brown chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 4-2 score. But Moss continued to work his offense, scoring again with a shot low at Brown's ankle. The Lion freshman then worked his way into a turning combination, nearly getting the count. But Brown was able to roll through and Moss cut him loose to a 6-3 score with :25 on the clock. Not to be denied, Moss shot low with :10 left and added one more takedown to up his lead to 8-3 after two periods. Moss chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-3 lead. Looking for bonus points, Moss caught Brown's shoulders, locked them up, and quickly threw him to the mat for a fast fall at the 5:43 mark.
149: Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 17 at 149, met Hoosier Trevor Moody. Beitz quickly gained control of the action, taking Moody down for an early 2-0 lead. The Nittany Lion sophomore then put together a strong ride, looking to turn the Hoosier for back points and a possible pin. Beitz steadily worked his way into a big riding time edge, forced Moody into a stall warning, and then cut him loose to a 2-1 lead. He then dove low at Moody's ankle and rolled through another takedown and led 4-2 after another cut. Beitz used a swift ankle pick to open up a 6-2 lead with :30 on the clock and then nearly picked up near fall points with a turn. But the one-count was not enough and Beitz led 6-2 with 2:28 riding time after one period. Moody chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-3 lead. Beitz picked up a point on another stall and then took Moody down again for a 9-3 lead with 1:00 on the clock. Beitz rode Moody out again and carried a 9-3 lead with a clinched riding time point (3:51) into the third period. Beitz chose down to start the third period worked his way to a quick reversal and an 11-3 lead. Moody escaped with :45 on the clock but Beitz's offense was relentless. The Lion sophomore picked up one more takedown and rode his way to a 14-4 major decision with 4:33 in riding time.
157: Senior Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), ranked No. 8 at 157, wrestled in Rec Hall for the first time this year against IU's Alex Gregory. Alton nearly caught Gregory out of the gates, trying to turn the Hoosier to his back for a fast fall. But Gregory fought off the move and action resumed in the center circle tied 0-0. The duo then battled evenly for over a minute, with neither man finding an opening. Scoreless after one period, Alton chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. After a scoreless minute-plus, Alton blew through a high double, looking to notch the bout's first takedown. But Gregory used a solid whizzer to fight off the shot and keep the score at 1-0 after two periods. Gregory chose down to start the third period but Alton was strong on top. The Lion senior maintained control of the Hoosier, breaking him down and forcing his chest to the mat as he built up riding time. Alton built his time edge up over 1:00 and kept control of Gregory. Gregory got to his feet with :45 left, but Alton was too strong, forcing him back down and flattening his chest to the mat. Alton maintained control for the full 2:00 and, with the riding time point, posted the 2-0 win.